The Witch's Ghost: One Year Later
by gotosleepryan
Summary: A year after the events of Autumnfest at Oakhaven, the gang decides it would be good for them to go back and see the fall color without what went wrong last year. However, they meet a relative of Ben's and Velma begins having nightmares that increase in intensity each night. Are her suspicions in Ben's sister justified, or is she just paranoid? Rated T, warnings per chapter.
1. chapter 1

Everything Velma saw was green. Not like it was tinted green, but wherever her eyes darted, she saw the same thing, the same now unappealing shade of lime, and nothing else.

Slowly, it faded and she was able to make some sense of her surroundings. She was bound with heavy rope and staring down someone she didn't recognize.

The person in front of her couldn't have been older than 20. Long black hair fluttered in front of her face, obscuring her facial features from view.

Velma found she was able to reach out with a hand, despite being bound, and try to swipe the hair away from her face.

When she took a good look, she gasped. Her... His? face... was the face of a past enemy. It was Ben Ravencroft. The person chuckled, then laughed with his laugh as one hand extended, then shot a bolt of some kind of magic at her.

Velma shot awake and inhaled sharply. She propped herself up on her elbows and glared blearily at the window. It wasn't quite daybreak yet, but the color of the sky and the lack of stars signaled dawn was approaching. Well, not like she could make out any stars, but she knew there weren't any out either way.

She checked the clock by her bed. After a minute, she could make out the blurry numbers. It was 5:58. With a huff, she flopped back down on her pillow, unsure if she'd be able to sleep again.

Why had she had that dream? Why was it focused on an event that happened nearly a year ago? Was it because of the timing or sheer coincidence? And who was that girl, or, who had she been before she had his face?

 _Maybe I haven't seen her face before_ , Velma reasoned with herself, _and_ _my_ _mind_ _couldn't_ _come_ _up_ _with_ _one_ _I've_ _seen_ _before_ _that_ _would fit better_.

After all, no one can see faces in dreams if they haven't seen them in real life.

She sighed again, staring at the ceiling for a few minutes. Of course, when she thought she was over this, she dreamed about him again. Was it a dream or a nightmare? It wasn't intense but it had started her heart racing and she felt uncomfortable with it.

After a few more minutes of staring at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to find her, she resolved she just wasn't going to get anymore sleep that night.

 _Whatever_ , _people_ _get_ _up_ _at_ _six_ _in_ _the_ _morning_.

Velma sat up and fumbled for her glasses, then set them on her face. Yawning, she stretched her legs before standing up and stretching her arms and back.

She forgot when the rest of them usually woke up in the morning, so she got on her laptop and started letting herself fall down a rabbit hole of internet browsing. She looked up articles about unsolved mysteries in their area anything they could go investigate. She found nothing.

 _That_ _sucks_ , she mused to herself as she opened a blank tab and closed the rest. She sat, wondering what to do to pass the time, then closed her laptop. Nothing in particular seemed interesting to her.

She sat back and closed her eyes, thinking about the events that had unfolded nearly a year ago.

How he'd gotten close and used her to find his ancestor's spellbook in a greedy quest for power.

How he'd set her free but how she was returned quickly. How he'd died.

She could still hear his last scream in her ears.

It had taken her a while to process everything. She couldn't even acknowledge that he was dead, _he_ _wa_ _s_ _really_ _actually_ _dead_ , until a day later. The knowledge that he'd used her, lied to her, came a while after.

She'd blamed herself for a while. How could she have let that happen? She should have known better than to trust that quickly. Why didn't she try to do more when she could have?

She remembered how she stood there, screaming at him, when she could have tried to grab the book. She stood there as Sarah pulled him in, she could have at least tried to grab his hand and save him.

 _She_ _could_ _have_ _done_ _more_.

 _Could_ _I_ _have_? Velma asked herself, opening her eyes.

Tears threatened to start pooling in her eyes but she started blinking rapidly to keep them away. It was too early to get this emotional.

 _This_ _is_ _in_ _the_ _past_ , she reminded herself. _I_ _can't_ _change_ _what_ _happened_. _There's_ _no_ _use_ _in_ _beating_ _myself_ _up_ _over_ _any_ _of_ _it_.

She exhaled deeply and inhaled again. _Let's_ _try_ _to_ _have_ _a_ _better_ _day_ , she thought to herself as she stood up and went to make coffee, to really wake up and do something with her day.

As she went to the counter to get the filters, a somewhat disturbing thought crossed her mind.

 _I_ _won't_ _have_ _this_ _dream_ _again_.. _Will_ _I_?

 ** _Uh_** ** _oh, catch me starting my third WIP as of now, and I can't really depend on the low visibility of the crossover tags now, haha. This story is definitely not over yet. Later the nightmares will become more graphic, so please be careful. I'm just trying to make sure I don't like... scare someone. There will be warnings at the top of each chapter but hopefully this story won't be too bad! (I'm always paranoid)_**

 ** _As always, Scooby Doo does not belong to me, nor do any of the characters except my own, just this once._**


	2. The Nightmares Continue

**_Warning for some blood_** , **_but_** **_once_** **_again_** , **_it's_** **_not_** **_really_** **_that_** **_bad_**.

That night, Velma found she was somewhat correct. She didn't have that dream again, she had one more disturbing than before.

 _She was alone on a smoothly paved road. There were no sidewalks beside it, only tall trees, reaching with slender limbs toward the moon, which hung high in the sky._

She tried not to think about it too much as she stirred her coffee. At least this morning she woke up at a reasonable hour. She was still somewhat bleary, however, not having gotten the best sleep the past two nights.

 _"Velma..." a hushed voice danced under the trees with the wind, blowing all around her, pushing her hair in her face._

She shivered lightly under her sweater and wrapped her hands around the mug of coffee. Now really was not the time to think about it.

 _"Who's there?" She asked boldly, looking around for any signs of the person speaking. Nervousness pricked at her stomach but she pushed it aside._

..Yet, she couldn't seem to stop thinking about it. She noticed Fred and Daphne's concerned glances thrown her way and smiled to tell them she was okay. Neither seemed entirely convinced but said nothing.

 _"You know very well who's there," the voice responded, growing louder. She recognized the slight accent and turned to look at him, but couldn't find him._

"Hm, the trees are really turning," Fred remarked. "Despite what happened, Oakhaven really was beautiful last year." Daphne hummed in agreement.

 _"Where are you? How are you here, you're dead!" She found herself turning more frantically, trying to find the source so she could run._

"I was actually wondering if... Maybe we should go back to visit this year." Everyone gave him the same look, the look that meant _are you crazy?!_ "Think about it. No ghosts, fake or real.. hopefully. No Ben. Just us and the fall color."

 _"I'm all around you, Velma. I never left this world." The voice seemed to grow louder in her ears. "In the air, on the ground, inside of the mist..."_

"I don't know if that's the best idea, Fred," Velma said as her fingers curled more tightly around the mug. "It doesn't sound entirely appealing to me, at least, and I hope my reasons are both obvious and justified." She didn't feel like bringing her dreams up to them yet.

 _Fog began to roll in from one side of the street. It couldn't have been normal, it was too bright, too.. bluish. It had to have been him. She started to walk away from the fog but found it on the other side of the street, too._

"Right.. but after all of that I think it might be good for all of us, but you in particular." Velma gave him a funny look.

 _"Leave me alone!" She screamed as the fog neared her, then swirled around her. She caught the scent of something as it closed in around her. The smell of blood, she realized._

"Why me?" Fred looked as though he'd possibly said something wrong and was considering what he could say right instead.

 _"How could I leave you alone?" The fog closed around her, covering her and slowly increasing in density. Her glasses started catching the mist on her lenses, rendering them pretty much useless. The scent of blood was growing thicker and stronger, making her feel nauseated._

"Well... You know, after everything that happened. I feel like he tried to get close to you especially and it isn't easy, feeling like you've taken it personally. It was just a thought, about going to Oakhaven, but think about what I said?"

 _The fog darkened suddenly, and became so thick and dry it wasn't fog anymore, it had become smoke. She looked around frantically, unable to see even a few inches in front of her. She began to have difficulty breathing. She got down on her knees, trying to crawl in any direction and see or breathe more easily, but it proved futile._

Velma went silent and looked down at her coffee mug.

 _"How can I leave you alone when my blood is on your hands?" Something about his tone made it seem too literal. She disbelievingly looked at her hands, then gaped at the sight of the thick crimson on them and dripping off her fingertips, then it ran down her arms and started to stain her sweater._

"..You know what?" Velma started to ask. Fred looked at her, crossing his arms.

 _She heard footsteps approaching and lowered her hands, looking toward them, her breath catching on her lips. She heard the sound of a fire crackling slowly grow nearer to her. He stopped right in front of her. She looked at his face, which was contorted into an evil leer._

"What?"

 _"Burn with me, Velma!" Ben yelled as the fire she'd heard raced around her, closing them both in a circle that continuously grew smaller. The smoke grew thicker and hotter._

"You're right. And why should he ruin this for me? Why can't I still go see the fall color at Oakhaven? Sure, I'd like to go." She made a vow to herself that if these dreams weren't random, they would end and she'd be the one to put a stop to them. She knew the answer would lay in Oakhaven if there was an answer, somewhere she could put all of this to rest.

 _She found herself nearly completely unable to breathe except to choke out a strangled, "Help me!"_

Fred looked surprised by her sudden change of heart. "Are you.. are you sure?"

 _As soon as the fire reached her, she woke up with her face half-buried into her pillow. She raised her head and gratefully breathed in air that seemed so wonderful to inhale._

"Like, yeah, Velma. Are you really sure?" Shaggy asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm really sure. Like I said, though, you do have a point, Fred."

"I'm.. I'm glad to hear it!" He smiled.

"It'll be so much fun this year now that we don't really have to worry about warlocks and the witch's ghost," Daphne remarked.

"Reah!" Scooby exclaimed, tail wagging.

"And then if they do have the witch's ghost, at least we'll know if the town is doing it based on how hokey it looks." Velma laughed a little at Fred's remark.

"And, like, maybe we won't ruin it for the town this year."

"As long as they're not throwing fire," Velma pointed out.

"Rue. Rhat ras rangerous rast rear."

"Well, we're planning for variables that may not even exist at this point, so let's ease up on it," Daphne reminded them jokingly. They all laughed.

"Sorry, Daph," Fred said a bit sheepishly, "guess we're still in that mystery solving mindset."

"Like, let's hope there's nothing that follows us there."

"Knowing us? Jinkies, I'd be surprised if that happened." All five laughed again, Velma a little less heartily than the others.

 _I_ _hope_ _this_ _is only a coincidence_ , she thought.

 _But if it isn't..._

 ** _Hi_** **_again_** **_Chapter_** **_updates_** **_are_** **_gonna_** **_be_** **_pretty_** **_sporadic_** **_but_** **_I'm_** **_trying_** **_to_** **_get_** **_some_** **_out_** **_before_** **_I_** **_lose_** **_interest_** **_(I'll_** **_try_** **_not_** **_to_** , **_though.)._** **_Sorry_** **_about_** **_the_** **_short_** **_chapter_** **_length,_** **_I'm_** **_trying_** **_to_** **_d_** ** _o_** **_better_** **_on_** **_that_** **_I'm_** **_sure_** **_they'll_** **_get_** _**longer** **, though.**_


	3. The Drive to Oakhaven

_**Hey, guys, I'm finally back with chapter 3 of WGOYL! Sorry the sporadic updates have kind of been not working, but I finally kicked my own ass back into gear and tried to write something! Again, the chapter is sort of sort, about the same length as the last one, but I really am trying to get better. In any event, there's another chapter and I will finish this story, even if it's currently kicking my ass. Just in case, a warning for fire in this chapter and violence, since the fireball kind of gets thrown at people.**_

"Well, gang, we're here!" Fred announced as the van came to a stop. Velma raised her head and looked to see that they were indeed at their destination.

"Finally," Daphne groaned, unbuckling and opening the passenger door. Velma unbuckled and opened the side door, then Shaggy and Scooby moved the backs of the middle row seats down so they could get out.

Velma sighed deeply and stretched, looking up at the sky. Dark clouds loomed over the horizon, making it feel later than it was. A breeze bit at her skin under her sweater, evoking a shiver from her. The stormy weather partially matched her mood, all of them tended to be a bit irritable after a long drive.

Had it been that long? It didn't feel long at all.

Well, count that a second time in her life she'd gotten to Oakhaven a lot sooner than expected. At least this time she was with people she knew she could trust.

"Nice weather we've got here," she remarked, but when she turned she found them all gone, at least from her line of sight. "Guys?" She circled around the van, puzzled, but didn't see any of them. "Hmph, how do you like that," she muttered, pulling her sleeves farther down her arms.

"VELMA!" came an ear-piercing shriek from four separate voices. Immediately knowing who the sources of the voices were, she took off in the direction she'd heard them coming from.

"Guys?!"

"HELP US!" a more desperate scream came from them, Daphne specifically, but this time it was in the opposite direction of where she was running. She quickly turned on her heel and ran toward them again.

She felt as though she was getting nowhere fast and her legs could have very well been made out of lead.

"DAPHNE?" she hollered, but the wind began to blow more violently and carried her voice away. _"GUYS, WHERE ARE YOU?!"_ She looked around frantically but the wind caused dirt to blow into her eyes, her glasses proving useless in protecting her.

When she managed to open her eyes the slightest bit, she caught sight of something sort of dark red, the color Shaggy's pants were. She tried to go in that direction, but the wind changed directions and blew so strongly she started to slip.

For safety, she got lower to the ground so she wouldn't be toppled over as easily and tried to find a hold, but found nothing. Thunder started rumbling above her and she tried to open her eyes again but there were too many small bits of matter blowing around.

Something had to have been in front of her because the wind suddenly wasn't as strong but she could hear it. She opened her eyes and saw two pale blue figures and one human-looking form standing in front of her. Both blue figures glared at her, one with a smirk on his face, and her stomach sank as she realized who they were.

Ben and Sarah.

She looked behind their translucent forms and saw the black-haired girl she'd dreamed of the first night, watching her, it seemed, with the wind still obscuring her face with her hair.

Wait, the girl she dreamed of... Velma's mind started to move to consciousness as she realized she was having another dream.

In the instant she realized it, everything started to become less realistic to her and she knew she was starting to wake up. Ben's ghost, seeming to sense that the world her mind had conjured was coming to an end, raised his hands above his head. The familiar green glow of Ravencroft magic materialized at his fingertips.

Velma saw no use in ducking as she wouldn't be hurt by whatever he'd do to her. He threw the ball of magic over her head and she looked behind her, at her friends.

Despite knowing she was dreaming, she saw the searing image of their faces frozen in an expression of horror before their skin started to redden from the heat. The fireball made contact with them, filling her vision with flames before she woke up.

Velma opened her eyes and jumped a little in her seat. She immediately fumbled for her glasses, which were in their case next to her. She put them on and was relieved to see all of her friends looking a bit worse for wear but normal and unharmed, regardless.

She sank back into her seat, glancing at the digital clock on the van's radio. 3:31. Fred was driving the Mystery Machine, Daphne was in the passenger seat, leaned back and sleeping, and Shaggy and Scooby were on the sort of floor in the back of the van.

Velma yawned and stretched out her stiff limbs. Fred caught a glimpse of her in the rear view mirror.

"Sleep well?"

Velma shrugged sleepily. "Sort of."

"Have a bad dream?"

"Started to, then I woke myself up." She felt nervous, holding back part of the truth. _But then again,_ she reasoning with herself, _withholding information and leaving out some details isn't necessarily lying._

 _Right..?_

Besides, how would they react if they knew she was dreaming about Ben Ravencroft, bordering on nightmares and increasing in frequency?

She hadn't dreamed about him once until the few days leading up to them heading to Oakhaven.

Something had to have been wrong with her. Was it coincidence or something more...?

She cried out in mild alarm as Fred hit a pothole hard, jostling her out of her thoughts and against her seatbelt —which had locked when the disturbance shook the van— roughly.

The sudden bump shook Shaggy, Scooby, and Daphne awake, as well as Velma.

"Sorry about that, guys," Fred said sheepishly. "Should have kept my eyes on the road more carefully." Velma grumbled assent, rubbing her shoulder.

 _Better than breaking my nose on Daphne's seat,_ she supposed.

"Like, Velma, I'm sure he didn't mean to," Shaggy said groggily.

Velma huffed in annoyance. "I'm sure, too, Shaggy. Just wish it hadn't happened."

"Calm down, Velma," Daphne spoke evenly, "Shaggy's just saying you went a bit overboard."

Velma avoided her stern glance, huffing again.

"Like, I know it's frustrating to be woken up early, much less by a pothole, but.."

"Just leave me alone," Velma interrupted bitterly.

"Velma.."

"Shut up!" She covered her ears and shut her eyes, heart starting to beat more quickly, her face starting to redden.

She was aware of their eyes on her and took her glasses off, as if taking them off would make her as blurry to them as they were to her.

She uncovered her ears after a moment and heard nothing but the sound of the van's tires running smoothly over the pavement.

 _ **Okay, I'm really going to get working at chapter four. I doubt it'll be a very long chapter unless they arrive during the day, though I suppose I might have to end up doing that. So... IDK. Either way, you'll have a story even if the chapters have a lower word count. Hey, I broke 1K for this chapter and the last one, though! Consider that an accomplishment, I'll be back with the next chapter before (hopefully) too long.**_


	4. Hotel Room

"Velma..." Came a sleepy voice from the bed across from hers.

They'd arrived at Oakhaven an hour or so ago, quickly arranged hotel rooms, and gone to hit the sack.

Velma, however, had decided to stay up and read.

"Mhm?" She looked over at Daphne, who turned her lamp on. Velma put her thumb between the pages and closed the book she was reading. "Sorry, is my lamp keeping you awake?"

"No.. well, yes. It is. But that's not what's causing me concern." Velma rolled her eyes and went back to her book. Daphne arched an eyebrow. "Why are you still up?"

"No reason." Velma tried to hold her voice steady.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"Velma, what's wrong?" Her voice grew firmer.

"Nothing." Velma's resolve to brush everything off weakened.

"What's keeping you up, then?"

"Nothing."

Daphne sighed, then puffed her bangs out of her face. "Come on, Velma. You never talk to me anymore. You haven't for a while, at least. Whatever it is, I'll keep it between us, I promise. Just let me in on whatever's troubling you..."

Velma's brow furrowed. With a sigh, she closed her book and leaned her head against the headboard.

"I just..." She sighed and her voice diminished. "I'm afraid."

"Of what?"

"Sleeping..."

Daphne's brow furrowed. "Why?"'

"Because.. I've... I've been having a lot of nightmares as of late..."

"About one thing or just nightmares in general? And for how long?"

Velma shrugged, tears threatening to start brimming in her eyes. "A few days? They've gotten worse as I keep sleeping, the last one I had was familiar enough that I could wake myself up."

"At least that's sort of something."

"That's why I came here with you guys," Velma admitted. "I thought being here would help the nightmares, help me figure out where they came from..."

"What are they about...? Do they have something to do with this place?" Velma nodded. "About him?" She nodded again, hastily wiping tears away with the back of her hand.

"And this.. this girl. I've never seen her and I still haven't seen her face, minus the first nightmare I had... But that wasn't her face..."

"What does she do?"

"She always shows up before or when he does. She's appeared so frequently, that's the giveaway that I'm dreaming. She just stands there and she's got this hair that always conceals her face.. I can't tell if she's there for a malicious reason or not in any of the dreams."

"Does Sarah ever show up?" Velma nodded.

"But not as frequently as.. well, him."

"It'd make sense, honestly. It must have really hurt, and it's understandable if it's on your mind so much you dream about it. You went through a lot that night."

"Do you think it's something to worry about?"

Daphne considered it for a moment, then shook her head. "I think it's normal. I've dreamed about our worst mysteries. I still have nightmares about the werecats."

"Boy, do we all need therapy." A small smile broke across Daphne's face.

"It might be a better idea, in the meantime, to get some sleep and rest it off."

"Fifteen more minutes," Velma wheedled as she opened her book again.

" _Velma_ ," Daphne warned.

"Fine..." She placed a bookmark inside and shut her light off.

"Thank you. Good night." Daphne switched her light off, as well.

"Good night, Daphne."

OoOoOoOoO

She opened her eyes to the soft glow of sunlight streaming in through the partially open curtains.

Something seemed a bit off.

Brushing off the feeling briefly, she yawned and stretched, then searched for her glasses on the bedside table. She squinted a bit when she realized they weren't there, then leaned back a bit on one extended arm.

Her fingers brushed by something familiar that really shouldn't have been on her bed. Relieved, she picked up her glasses and put them on.

"I could have sworn I left them on the bedside table," she mused to herself. _Nevermind_ , she thought. _At least they're found._

She stood up, groggily looking outside the window before realizing that they were in Oakhaven. She sat on the bed for a minute, watching some of the leaves fall in a gentle breeze.

She took a breath, then went to get a glass of water. She was still having trouble recalling what felt off. It felt like something.. normal.. to her night was missing.

She got a little paper cup, filled it with tap water, then walked around a bit, taking small sips of the water and waiting to fully wake up.

She realized Daphne wasn't in their room. She must have either been eating breakfast or hanging out in the guys' room, if any of them were awake. Shaggy and Scooby might have gone down for breakfast...

She wasn't quite hungry yet, so she continued pacing with the cup of water in her hand.

When she woke up a bit more, she realized she hadn't had a nightmare the previous night. Or maybe she did but didn't remember it. She tried to see if she could recall anything, anything at all, to correlate the previous dreams she'd had.

She didn't get anything, so she took a larger drink of water and hoped that'd help. She didn't want to forget these dreams, no matter how terrifying they could be. They could mean something.

Especially that raven-haired girl.

 _Fuck_ , she thought to herself with a grimace, _I should probably say something to the guys since I was so snappy at them..._

She went to her suitcase and grabbed an orange tee shirt, jeans, and a red jacket. She knew the weather could change very quickly, considering it was autumn.

She changed out of her pajamas and went to the bathroom to rearrange her hair and comb her bangs back into place. Sometimes, in the morning, her length of hair was a bit of a mess to deal with, but she liked it where it was.

She scratched the back of her neck then paused. She caught a faint recollection of the dream she'd had last night. She felt a vague impression, one of someone touching her neck.

 _Why can't I remember this one?!_

Agitation prickled in her stomach as she took another drink of water, trying to hold on to the faint recollection of her dreams.

 _Was it him?_ She wondered. _Was it Ben? And if it was, why? Was he being violent? Strangling me? Was there something on my neck..? Was it even him?_

She shook her head. Not the time to ask that many questions.

She rubbed her neck again, hoping to maybe answer at least one of her questions, then tried to focus again on what she'd dreamed of.

She vaguely recalled him, standing in front of her. Smiling for some odd reason. She couldn't tell what the smile conveyed since she couldn't recall all of it. Malice? Bitterness? ...Happiness...?

And he was touching her neck, but not trying to hurt her... At least, not from what she remembered.

 _So why...?_

She tried to remember how his hand had moved, if it had. She closed her eyes, remembering it had moved up to her jaw. Which was when she'd looked at him.

There was a quality to her dream that felt more like a memory... But that wasn't possible, if it was a memory she would have done something more than stand there... Right?

Besides, there was no way his ghost could have really showed up in the hotel room at god-knows-when...

 _Right?_

She tried to focus on his smile when she'd looked up at him, on other details of his face.

His eyes... They were half-lidded. That'd make his expression... Smug... Or... She couldn't even swallow it if it was the other option.

Amorous.

 _But why..?_

Were her dreams mocking her for what she'd felt when she thought he was a friend..?

There was no way... And no way she'd reciprocate after everything that happened. Not in a million years.

But after he smiled... She remembered he was coming closer and _ohhhh fuck no there's no way I dreamed of KISSING Ben fucking Ravencroft, no, no, no, no..._

She bit her lip anxiously. And then her eyes widened as it hit her like a train.

She had dreamed of kissing him, of something happening.

And he had reminded her fire and ash, of flames and heat and embers...

And somehow, the smoldering kiss they'd shared in her sleep had carried into the day.

Her lips faintly tasted like smoke.


	5. chapter 5

**Woohoo, another chapter! That's hopefully longer!! Without further ado, here's the follow up to Velma's not so sweet dreams.**

 **Mostly** **tw for swearing and mental breakdown stuff**.

 _Christ_...

Velma anxiously paced across the floor of the hotel room.

 _There's no way..._ _There can't be..._

Each time she tested, the remaining taste of smoke was still on her lips.

 _He died in a goddamn fire, what else could have made this happen?_

"Shut it, Dinkley!"

Velma's eyes widened as she realized she'd spoken aloud. She released a relieved sigh as she realized she was still alone.

She collected her thoughts, then found her suitcase. After a bit of digging, she retrieved a composition journal and a pen.

Ignoring other entries on other topics, she began to write about her dreams. Again, agitation began to simmer in her.

"It's not enough to write about it," she muttered to herself distractedly.

Velma flipped the page and began to sketch roughly. On one side of the paper, she drew Ben. On the other side, she drew someone with no facial features, only a mass of long dark hair on their head. Between them were arrows pointing to a question mark. She knew they were somehow related. Underneath her sketch of Ben, she wrote, _"did_ _he kiss me? and why? MEMORY OR DREAM??"_

Velma paused.

After a moment's consideration, she took the pen and indulged in a childish moment, drawing a curly mustache and a devil's pitchfork next to him. Beneath it, she captioned it, " _Bitch Ravencrap_." After another moment's consideration, she added, " _the fuckteenth, in a line of those of a 'superior breed_.'"

Satisfied with herself, she giggled maniacally.

She turned her attention back to the facts at hand before noticing her masterpiece out of the corner of her eye.

Velma broke into a round of uncontrollable giggles.

What is HAPPENING to me?!

As she laughed, she thought about everything, and all of that everything did nothing to alleviate her laughter, although it did begin to bring tears to her eyes.

The door clicked before opening. Velma quickly tried to regain her composure but instantly failed.

Daphne blinked rapidly at the sight of her best friend on the floor, laughing and possibly crying under those glasses of hers.

"Velma...?" Daphne cautiously asked. "Are you okay?"

Velma peered up at Daphne, wide-eyed.

"No...!" She sobbed, while simultaneously breaking into a wide grin and a round of laughter.

Daphne dropped to her knees and hugged Velma, who was still laughing and sobbing.

"No, I'm not okay!"

Daphne rubbed her back gently as she trembled. She felt tears begin to wet her shoulder but paid no attention to it. After a moment of Velma's clashing emotions and subsequent breakdown, Daphne laid a hand on her forehead, then cheek.

"Well, you're not sick." She slowly slipped off Velma's glasses and wiped her tears away. Daphne got a bit closer to Velma's face. "Wow, you weren't kidding. You're really sleep deprived."

"I could have come to that conclusion."

Daphne glanced at the journal on the floor before tapping it shut with her toe and returning Velma's glasses.

"I don't suppose I can talk you into a few more hours of rest?" Velma frantically shook her head. "Alright, coffee it is. It might be a good idea to get some food into you, too, alright?"

Velma nodded. Daphne offered a hand and helped Velma up onto unsteady limbs.

"They've got great eggs downstairs at their continental breakfast, maybe protein will help you be less shaky."

"That sounds good," Velma muttered, hastily brushing tears off of her cheeks. "But wait..." Daphne paused. "Are you going to make me tell the guys?"

Daphne hesitated.

"Well, I feel like it might be a good idea to..."

"Please, don't. I feel like they'll think I'm crazy!"

"They already do."

Velma glared at Daphne, who smirked.

"But if it means that much to you, I won't. Unless it gets worse. Then you'll have to. Deal?"

"Deal."

Daphne smiled as she put an arm around Velma's shoulder and led her downstairs to breakfast. Once there, she gestured toward the line. Velma nodded and grabbed a plate.

 _I hope it isn't clear I was crying..._

She brushed it aside as she served herself some eggs, fruit, and piece of French toast. She noticed Daphne's red hair through the sea of faces and moved toward the table where her friends sat.

She failed to notice the pair of sharp green eyes watching her intently.

Velma sighed as she sat down. Daphne pointed to the travel cup she'd gotten for Velma, who gratefully took a sip and started to dig in.

"Like, how are you feeling?"

Her eyes widened in regard to Shaggy's question as she nearly choked on her eggs.

"Why, does something seem off??"

"Uhh... Last night? Like, you weren't in the best mood."

"Oh, that." Her cheeks turned pink. "Yeah... I'm really sorry about that, I'd been having a bad dream and I lashed out and got petty."

Shaggy nodded understandingly.

"Do you feel better today?" Fred asked as Velma took another drink of her coffee.

"Marginally."

"That well, huh?"

Velma rolled her eyes as she took a bite of food.

"Like, food and fresh air might do you some good. It always makes Scooby and me feel better!"

"Reah!"

"That..." Velma smiled genuinely. "That sounds amazing right now."

"Well, then, if you're still hungry, grab something you can carry and we'll head out!" Fred dug in his pocket for the keys to the van.

"You know, I _have_ been eyeing those cinnamon rolls..." Velma stood up and walked back to the line. Shaggy sighed softly as she went, relieved she seemed to be better.

As Velma made her way back to the table to leave with her friends, someone unexpectedly backed out of their chair, knocking into Velma.

She tripped, losing her glasses and cinnamon roll in the process, and hit the ground hard.

"Oh, my god, I'm so sorry!" Instantly, her crabby mood was back and there were hands under her elbow and waist, pulling her up. She jerked away, nervous about being touched by strangers in any fashion.

"Where are my glasses..?" She muttered mostly to herself.

"Oh, they're over here!" The person who tripped her, who Velma was guessing was a woman by the sound of her voice, exclaimed. "Oh, there's frosting on them. Let me fix that..."

"It's fine!" Velma snapped. "Can I just... Have them back??"

Wordlessly, her glasses found their way back into her palm as she fumbled for her cleaning cloth.

"I'm so sorry, again. Are you okay?" The woman kneeled down to her level.

Velma's eyes widened once she put her glasses back on and she audibly gasped as a new piece of the puzzle simultaneously clicked into place and knocked another piece out.

She had ebony hair that cascaded down her shoulders and bright green eyes.

"It's _you_!!"


End file.
